The present invention relates generally to improvements in housings for electronic devices. More particularly, the invention relates to an extendible foot in the housing of an electronic device for supporting such devices at a convenient angle for use.
Often, electronic devices used in consumer and industrial applications are placed in positions in which they are more conveniently reached and used if supported at an angle from the surface on which they rest. Such devices may include telephone base stations, keyboards, oscilloscopes and multimeters, as well as many other devices. Whether the device is advantageously held at an angle depends on the particular location and situation in which it is placed. Therefore, it is advantageous to equip the housing of the device with feet or other supports which are extendible at the option of the user.
Typically, the angle of a device is made adjustable by equipping the device with foldable feet. These feet fold into a recess in the device when it is desired that the device stay flat, and are extended when it is desired that the device be supported at an angle.
The foldable feet tend to be fairly large, and are easily visible when the device is viewed from the bottom. The combination of folded-in feet and the recesses into which they are folded may appear unsightly to some viewers. Moreover, foldable feet are susceptible to fold inward when the device is moved slightly. This causes the device to fall into a flat position, annoying the user and requiring that the feet be unfolded again.
There exists, therefore, a need in the art for an extendible foot for the housing of an electronic device which is not readily visible when not extended, and which better resists being inadvertently retracted.
An extendible foot according to one aspect of the present invention resides in a receptacle in a baseplate in a housing of an electronic device. The foot slides easily within the receptacle for extension or retraction. The foot includes a plurality of compressible extensions. A first set of extensions advantageously includes a set of locking tabs which lock against the bottom of the baseplate preventing inadvertent retraction of the foot. Compression of the first set of extensions moves the locking tabs clear of the baseplate, allowing retraction of the foot. A second set of extensions includes a set of stop tabs which impinge against the top of the baseplate preventing inadvertent removal of the foot from its receptacle in the baseplate. Compression of the second set of extensions preferably moves the stop tabs clear of the baseplate allowing removal of the foot from the baseplate when desired.
A more complete understanding of the present invention, as well as further features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following Detailed Description and the accompanying drawings.